Opposition Research is not Collusion

I should emphasize “pay a firm to probe for information.” The Clinton campaign hired Fusion GPS to conduct opposition research on Trump. Fusion GPS then hired former British spy Chris Steele for the investigation. Steele collected raw intelligence; that obviously included speaking with Russians. Undoubtedly, many of these Russians, speakingly disconcertingly freely, likely had lines fed to them by the Kremlin, whose efforts to influence our election and voters (of both parties) has been well documented.

But that’s not collusion (except, perhaps, in the delusional world of those who truly believe everything 1,200 time liar Donald Trump says). Collusion involves a secret agreement or cooperation for some deceitful purpose — say, agreeing to meet with Russian agents after they promise dirt on your political opponent, which Donald Trump Jr did. Hiring a firm for opposition research and then that firm hiring a spy and then that spy conducting routine raw intelligence collection is not by any means collusion.

A Lack of Logic

Let’s also walk through the wholly foolish logic of those claiming Clinton/Russia collusion:

Fund the bombshell dossier

Say nothing about

Let Russia hack your emails

Lose election in large part because of leaked emails hacked by Russia

Profit!

It’s utterly bizarre and entirely nonsensical that people think the Clinton campaign would break all sorts of laws and arguably commit treason to coordinate with Russian and then not use the document during the campaign to win the election. How does that make sense? Like all of the right-wing attacks, it doesn’t.

Paying for opposition research is not collusion. By not stretch of the imagination is it collusion. These new attacks, conveniently emerging in the same week as special counsel Robert Mueller’s first indictment, are only misinformation driven by stakeholders of the Trump administration who will go to any lengths to defend their Great White Hope — he who will take healthcare from millions and cut taxes on the wealthy all while enabling the GOP’s most racist and deplorable faction.

Thomas Hudson is the president and founder of Progressives for Prosperity.